Sunday 9 February 2014

Homophobia in the Irish Times


I am not a homophobe. I am not oppressed by an irrational fear of encountering homosexuals but I do dissent from the bleating chorus of bien-pensant lattetudinarians who infest the Irish Times at the moment. I have a browser (Epiphany) which allows me to easily read it without ads and comments in the curtailed on-line version - no java, no popups, no plugins. Fintan O’Toole who could bore for Europe has lately been indulging himself in the cheapest from of rhetorical 'far be it from me’ litotes in relation to John Waters a fellow correspondent at the Times who accepted €40,000 in settlement of a defamation claim from RTE when a transvestite interviewee referred to him as a ‘homophobe’.

Fintan O'Toole
Waters would have accepted €15,000 paid to a charity and an apology but RTE got cheap and wanted to pay only €5,000. ‘You are not taking this seriously’ said John and on legal advice cancelled the offer. There is a lonely corner of the Times canteen that is forever Waters’.

O’Toole who lost a few pin feathers in a plagiarism scandal some years ago is still a Leonard L. Milberg visiting lecturer in Irish Studies at Princeton. His lack of support for BDS boycott of Israel has not affected this role. You must never allow your convenience to be compromised by principle. The South African boycott which he supported was totally different. Of course it was.

As well as Waters, Breda O’Brien also a correspondent for the Times was labelled a homophobe by Panti Bliss. She gave her response on Saturday:

Breda O'Brien
Could the civil partnerships of homosexuals be brought to the same level of rights and obligations as those of hetrosexuals? If it weren’t for the adoption and commissioning of children that this would bring with it most people would be in favour. There is also the resistance to the idea that a vote for ‘marriage equality’ is a tacit recognition that there really is no difference between the unions. Is it O.K. to be different or not?

There is going to be a referendum on this next year. From a tactical point of view this ‘homophobe’ hysteria is a mistake as the electorate doesn’t like being bullied. One has to await the wording of the amendment of course.

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